AUSTRALIAN DOCK WORKERS

Evening Star, Issue 25325, 6 November 1944, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN DOCK WORKERS

SHARP CRITICISM EY LORD KEYES CONTROLLED HOURS DELAY REPAIRS Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright! '"SYDNEY, Nov. 5 Admiral of the Fleet Lord Keyes has made charges that working conditions ; in Australian dockyards have delayed, ship repairs. The Commonwealth Navy Minister. Mr W. J. Makm, has criticised Lord -Reyes's statement as " regrettable and provocative. Speaking at Brisbane, Lord Keyes, referred to a Pacific island base where an Australian warship is reported to have been sent for repairs. He said: "At this base they work 24 hours a day as all sailors and soldiers are pre. pared to do in all conditions of service, instead of as in this country, where the number of hours worked per day and number of days worked per week are controlled by-somebody of whom. I have no knowledge." Many union leaders have expressed strong resentment at Lord Keyes's remarks. The president of the Amalgamated Engineering Union, Mr J. Cranwell, said that Australian ship repairers /iften worked 48 hours in one shift. An examination of the figures at one Australian ship repair- base showed that recently 483 men averaged 84.7 hours a week.

" If Lord Keyes has any comment to make on matters concerning the Royal Australian Navy it would be more appropriate if he communicated them to the Australian Government, rather than make a provocative public statement, said Mr Makin. " Operational aspects are so closely associated with the details of this subject that I am not prepared to make a public statement at present. I regard it as most inexcusable for anv other person sharing equal responsibilities in a naval matter to do otherwise." .■ __ , , , A mass meeting oi 3,000 dockyard workers in Sydney protested, against Lord Keyes's remarks, declaring them, to be "unfair to Australian'dockyard workers,.and particularly those in Sydney, where work has progressed continuously for 24 hours a; day since the outbreak, of war." f .; ~ . ■ Lord Keyes has replied to their protest, saying he would be delighted to put the " fighting man's case " before them. His offer has been accepted, and the admiral has been promised a courteous hearing. Dockyard men will ask Lord Keyes to hear their view.